Computational Methods in Particle Physics: On-Shell Methods in Field Theory David A. Kosower University of Zurich, January 31–February 14, 2007 Lecture II

Computational Methods in Particle Physics: On-Shell Methods in Field Theory, Zurich, Jan 31–Feb 14, 2007 Review of Lecture I Color-ordered amplitude Color-ordered amplitude — function of momenta & polarizations alone; not not Bose symmetric

Computational Methods in Particle Physics: On-Shell Methods in Field Theory, Zurich, Jan 31–Feb 14, 2007 We then obtain the explicit formulæ otherwise so that the identity always holds

Computational Methods in Particle Physics: On-Shell Methods in Field Theory, Zurich, Jan 31–Feb 14, 2007 Spinor-Helicity Representation for Gluons Gauge bosons also have only ± physical polarizations Elegant — and covariant — generalization of circular polarization Xu, Zhang, Chang (preprint 1984); NPB291:392 (1987) reference momentum q Transverse Normalized

Computational Methods in Particle Physics: On-Shell Methods in Field Theory, Zurich, Jan 31–Feb 14, 2007 Examples By explicit calculation (or other arguments), every term in the gluon tree-level amplitude has at least one factor of Look at four-point amplitude Recall three-point color-ordered vertex

Computational Methods in Particle Physics: On-Shell Methods in Field Theory, Zurich, Jan 31–Feb 14, 2007 Calculate choose identical reference momenta for all legs  all vanish  amplitude vanishes Calculate choose reference momenta 4,1,1,1  all vanish  amplitude vanishes Calculate choose reference momenta 3,3,2,2  only nonvanishing is  only s 12 channel contributes

Computational Methods in Particle Physics: On-Shell Methods in Field Theory, Zurich, Jan 31–Feb 14, 2007

No diagrammatic calculation required for the last helicity amplitude, Obtain it from the decoupling identity

Computational Methods in Particle Physics: On-Shell Methods in Field Theory, Zurich, Jan 31–Feb 14, 2007 These forms hold more generally, for larger numbers of external legs: Parke-Taylor equations Mangano, Xu, Parke (1986) Proven using the Berends–Giele recurrence relations Maximally helicity-violating or ‘MHV’

Computational Methods in Particle Physics: On-Shell Methods in Field Theory, Zurich, Jan 31–Feb 14, 2007 Gauge-theory amplitude  Color-ordered amplitude: function of k i and  i  Helicity amplitude: function of spinor products and helicities ±1 Spinor products  spinors Color decomposition & stripping Spinor-helicity basis

Computational Methods in Particle Physics: On-Shell Methods in Field Theory, Zurich, Jan 31–Feb 14, 2007 Spinor Variables From Lorentz vectors to bi-spinors 2×2 complex matrices with det = 1

Computational Methods in Particle Physics: On-Shell Methods in Field Theory, Zurich, Jan 31–Feb 14, 2007 Null momenta can write it as a bispinor phase ambiguity in (same as seen in spinor products) For real Minkowski p, take Invariant tensor gives spinor products

Computational Methods in Particle Physics: On-Shell Methods in Field Theory, Zurich, Jan 31–Feb 14, 2007 Connection to earlier spinor products and spinor-helicity basis  Amplitudes as functions of spinor variables and helicities ±1

Computational Methods in Particle Physics: On-Shell Methods in Field Theory, Zurich, Jan 31–Feb 14, 2007 Scaling of Amplitudes Suppose we scale the spinors then by explicit computation we see that the MHV amplitude and that more generally also called ‘phase weight’

Computational Methods in Particle Physics: On-Shell Methods in Field Theory, Zurich, Jan 31–Feb 14, 2007 For the non-trivial parts of the amplitude, we might as well use uniformly rescaled spinors  CP 1 ‘complex projective space’ Start with C 2, and rescale all vectors by a common scale the spinors are then ‘homogeneous’ coordinates on CP 1 If we look at each factor in the MHV amplitude, we see that it is just a free-field correlator (Green function) on CP 1 This is the essence of Nair’s construction of MHV amplitudes as correlation functions on the ‘line’ = CP 1

Computational Methods in Particle Physics: On-Shell Methods in Field Theory, Zurich, Jan 31–Feb 14, 2007 Gauge-theory amplitude  Color-ordered amplitude: function of k i and  i  Helicity amplitude: function of spinor products and helicities ±1  Function of spinor variables and helicities ±1  Conjectured support on simple curves in twistor space Color decomposition & stripping Spinor-helicity basis Half-Fourier transform

Computational Methods in Particle Physics: On-Shell Methods in Field Theory, Zurich, Jan 31–Feb 14, 2007

Let’s Travel to Twistor Space! It turns out that the natural setting for amplitudes is not exactly spinor space, but something similar. The motivation comes from studying the representation of the conformal algebra. Half-Fourier transform of spinors: transform, leave alone  Penrose’s original twistor space, real or complex Study amplitudes of definite helicity: introduce homogeneous coordinates  CP 3 or RP 3 (projective) twistor space Back to momentum space by Fourier-transforming 

Computational Methods in Particle Physics: On-Shell Methods in Field Theory, Zurich, Jan 31–Feb 14, 2007 MHV Amplitudes in Twistor Space Write out the half-Fourier transform including the energy- momentum conserving  function

Computational Methods in Particle Physics: On-Shell Methods in Field Theory, Zurich, Jan 31–Feb 14, 2007 Result equation for a line MHV amplitudes live on lines in twistor space Value of the twistor-space amplitude is given by a correlation function on the line

Computational Methods in Particle Physics: On-Shell Methods in Field Theory, Zurich, Jan 31–Feb 14, 2007 Analyzing Amplitudes in Twistor Space Amplitudes in twistor space turn out to be hard to compute directly. Even with computations in momentum space, the Fourier transforms are hard to compute explicitly. We need other tools to analyze the amplitudes. Simple ‘algebraic’ properties in twistor space — support on CP 1 s or CP 2 s — become differential properties in momentum space. Construct differential operators.

Computational Methods in Particle Physics: On-Shell Methods in Field Theory, Zurich, Jan 31–Feb 14, 2007 Equation for a line ( CP 1 ): gives us a differential (‘line’) operator in terms of momentum-space spinors Equation for a plane ( CP 2 ): also gives us a differential (‘plane’) operator

Computational Methods in Particle Physics: On-Shell Methods in Field Theory, Zurich, Jan 31–Feb 14, 2007 Properties Thus for example

Computational Methods in Particle Physics: On-Shell Methods in Field Theory, Zurich, Jan 31–Feb 14, 2007 Beyond MHV Witten’s proposal: Each external particle represented by a point in twistor space Amplitudes non-vanishing only when points lie on a curve of degree d and genus g, where d = # negative helicities – 1 + # loops g  # loops; g = 0 for tree amplitudes Integrand on curve supplied by a topological string theory Obtain amplitudes by integrating over all possible curves  moduli space of curves Can be interpreted as D 1 -instantons th/

Computational Methods in Particle Physics: On-Shell Methods in Field Theory, Zurich, Jan 31–Feb 14, 2007 Strings in Twistor Space String theory can be defined by a two-dimensional field theory whose fields take values in target space: – n-dimensional flat space – 5-dimensional Anti-de Sitter × 5-sphere – twistor space: intrinsically four-dimensional  Topological String Theory Spectrum in Twistor space is N = 4 supersymmetric multiplet (gluon, four fermions, six real scalars) Gluons and fermions each have two helicity states

Computational Methods in Particle Physics: On-Shell Methods in Field Theory, Zurich, Jan 31–Feb 14, 2007 A New Duality String TheoryGauge Theory Topological B-model on CP 3|4 N =4 SUSY ‘Twistor space’ Witten (2003); Berkovits & Motl; Neitzke & Vafa; Siegel (2004) weak–weak

Computational Methods in Particle Physics: On-Shell Methods in Field Theory, Zurich, Jan 31–Feb 14, 2007 Simple Cases Amplitudes with all helicities ‘+’  degree –1 curves. No such curves exist, so the amplitudes should vanish. Corresponds to the first Parke–Taylor equation. Amplitudes with one ‘–’ helicity  degree-0 curves: points. Generic external momenta, all external points won’t coincide (singular configuration, all collinear),  amplitudes must vanish. Corresponds to the second Parke–Taylor equation. Amplitudes with two ‘–’ helicities (MHV)  degree-1 curves: lines. All F operators should annihilate them, and they do.

Computational Methods in Particle Physics: On-Shell Methods in Field Theory, Zurich, Jan 31–Feb 14, 2007 Other Cases Amplitudes with three negative helicities (next-to-MHV) live on conic sections (quadratic curves) Amplitudes with four negative helicities (next-to-next-to-MHV) live on twisted cubics Fourier transform back to spinors  differential equations in conjugate spinors

Computational Methods in Particle Physics: On-Shell Methods in Field Theory, Zurich, Jan 31–Feb 14, 2007 Even String Theorists Can Do Experiments Apply F operators to NMHV (3 – ) amplitudes: products annihilate them! K annihilates them; Apply F operators to N 2 MHV (4 – ) amplitudes: longer products annihilate them! Products of K annihilate them;

Computational Methods in Particle Physics: On-Shell Methods in Field Theory, Zurich, Jan 31–Feb 14, 2007 A more involved example Interpretation: twistor-string amplitudes are supported on intersecting line segments Don’t try this at home!

Computational Methods in Particle Physics: On-Shell Methods in Field Theory, Zurich, Jan 31–Feb 14, 2007 Simpler than expected: what does this mean in field theory?

Computational Methods in Particle Physics: On-Shell Methods in Field Theory, Zurich, Jan 31–Feb 14, 2007 Cachazo–Svr č ek–Witten Construction Cachazo, Svr č ek, & Witten, th/ Vertices are off-shell continuations of MHV amplitudes: every vertex has two ‘  ’ helicities, and one or more ‘+’ helicities Includes a three-point vertex Propagators are scalar ones: i / K 2 ; helicity projector is in the vertices Draw all tree diagrams with these vertices and propagator Different sets of diagrams for different helicity configurations Corresponds to all multiparticle factorizations

Computational Methods in Particle Physics: On-Shell Methods in Field Theory, Zurich, Jan 31–Feb 14, 2007 Off-Shell Continuation Can decompose a general four-vector into two massless four- vectors, one of which we choose to be the light-cone vector We can solve for f using the condition The rule for continuing k j off-shell in an MHV vertices is then just or equivalently

Computational Methods in Particle Physics: On-Shell Methods in Field Theory, Zurich, Jan 31–Feb 14, 2007 Off-Shell Vertices General MHV vertex Three-point vertex is just n =3 case

Computational Methods in Particle Physics: On-Shell Methods in Field Theory, Zurich, Jan 31–Feb 14, 2007

Seven-point example with three negative helicities

Computational Methods in Particle Physics: On-Shell Methods in Field Theory, Zurich, Jan 31–Feb 14, 2007 Next-to-MHV

Computational Methods in Particle Physics: On-Shell Methods in Field Theory, Zurich, Jan 31–Feb 14, 2007

A New Analytic Form All-n NMHV (3 – : 1, m 2, m 3 ) amplitude Generalizes adjacent-minus result DAK (1989)